Dornbirn, Austria

Dornbirn is the largest city in the Austrian State of Vorarlberg. With its 45,650 inhabitants (2006) Dornbirn is a friendly, lively smaller city which has never really lost its cozy traditional rustic character.

Dornbirn consists of a grouping of villages at the edge of the Rhine Valley: Oberdorf, Haltlerdorf, Rohrbach, Schoren, Watzenegg, Kehlegg and, in the centre, the Lower and Upper Village Centre – called simply the “Market District”. Dornbirn benefits from its favourable location among diverse cultural and natural settings in the four-country areas of Austria, the Principality of Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Germany.

Dubuque has hosted delegations from Dornbirn in May 2010, April 2011, May 2013 and May 2014. The City of Dubuque was invited to visit the City of Dornbirn and sent a delegation in October 2012. This visit to Dornbirn included tours of the Dornbirn City Museum and Archives, the Dornbirn Town Hall, farmer’s market, area historical sights, and medieval villages.

Proclamations (one in English and one in German) officially designating Dubuque and Dornbirn as sister cities were signed by Mayor Buol and Dornbirn Mayor Wolfgang Rummele at a formal ceremony on Oct. 24, 2012 at the Dornbirn Town Hall. To view the signing ceremony, click here.

Click here to read an article published in the December 2012 edition of Julien's Journal regarding the Dubuque Delegation's visit to Dornbirn in October 2012.